Kettle Ridge Organics

1500 acresBox 670, Alix, Alberta, T0C 0B0Leah and Chris Simeniuk

Regenerative agriculture puts the farmer back in touch with their land and requires them to be a caretaker, as opposed to an exploiter, of the land. The farmer must learn to flow with the rhythm of natural processes, not attempt to force their will on nature.

Products

  • Organic Wheat
  • Organic Malt Barley
  • Organic Barley
  • Organic Peas
  • Organic Mustard
  • Organic Rye
  • Organic Oats
  • Organic Faba Beans

Regenerative Practices

  • Minimize soil disturbance
    • Minimum-till 
      Minimum tillage is a soil cultivation practice that reduces the number, depth (0-10 cm), and intensity of tillage operations (no inversion of the soil) to minimize soil disturbance.
  • Keep the soil covered and maintain living roots year-round
    • Cover crops 
      Plants grown alongside, preceding, or following cash crops with the purpose of increasing soil fertility, reducing soil erosion, and suppressing weeds.
    • Intercropping 
      Simultaneously growing two or more crops adjacent to one another, on the same piece of land and within the same growing season. crops are paired based on their differing, yet complementary, space and resource requirements.
    • Relay (or double) cropping 
      Growing two or more crops one after another on the same field and within the same growing season. crops are combined in a relay to maximize the season according to the maturation or harvest stage of the crops.
  • Protect and enhance biodiversity
    • Companion cropping 
      Simultaneously growing two or more crops together in the same field so they complement one another by improving nutrient cycling, suppressing pests and weeds, and enhancing biodiversity.
    • Diverse crop rotations 
      Planting crops with different characteristics in sequence on the same field over time
    • Pollinator buffers 
      Patches or rows of diverse flowering vegetation that provide pollinators with permanent habitats and food sources. they can be planted as intercrops or at the edge of fields.
    • Habitat conservation/creation/restoration 
      The conservation, creation, and restoration of ecosystems to improve habitat value for wildlife. forests, prairies, riparian areas, or wetlands can be restored along farmland.
  • Optimize input use
    • Minimal to no use of synthetic pesticides 
      Any product, device, organism, substance or thing that is manufactured, represented, sold or used as a means for directly or indirectly controlling, preventing, destroying, mitigating, attracting or repelling any pest (health canada, 2024).\r\nin canada, the most used pesticide active ingredient types are glyphosate, 2,4-d, glufosinate ammonium, and mcpa (all herbicides). then, there are also insecticides and fungicides such as chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, or chlorothalonil.
    • Minimal to no use of synthetic fertilizers 
      Fertilizers that are derived from synthetic sources. \r\nas plants extract nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur are the four most important nutrients) from the soil during every growing season, they must be replenished through fertilizers, manure, legume cover crops (through nitrogen fixing), and compost added to fields annually.
  • Preserve and restore natural ecosystems
    • Maintain living roots year-round (agroforestry and perennials)
      • Windbreaks 
        A single row or multiple rows of trees and shrubs to break the force of winds.
      • Riparian buffers 
        Mixed woody and non-woody species planted along the edges of bodies of water (streams, rivers, lakes, or ponds).
      • Native perennial vegetation conservation 
        The conservation of existing—or reintroduction of—native perennial vegetation, those that occur naturally in a region in which it evolved. it includes grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and coastal habitats.
    • Improve water cycles

      Observations

      • Improved water infiltration
      • Increased biomass growth with multi-species covers
      • Increased diversity in insects and birds

      Certifications

      • Organic (Procert - Canadian Organic Regime (COR), National Organic Program (NOP))

      How to buy

      • Grains sold in bulk by appointment only.
      Contact
      www.kettleridgeorganics.cachris@kettleridgeorganics.ca403-396-1794
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